La Salle

As Bonner-Prendergast senior Will McDermott came around the last turn Saturday in the 3,200 meters at the Catholic League track and field championships at Upper Darby, he met a loud ovation. Red-faced and appearing fatigued, McDermott sped down the final stretch to break the meet's oldest track record, finishing in 9 minutes, 19.7 seconds. While the crowd knew McDermott could be on the verge of history because of a public address announcement, the long-distance runner had no idea and said he could not even hear the cheers.

A year ago, both Council Rock South and La Salle saw their baseball seasons end in devastating fashion. In an error-marred state-quarterfinal playoff, C.R. South yielded three runs in the bottom of the seventh and bowed to Spring-Ford, 6-5. La Salle, after jumping out to an 11-0 lead in the first 11/2 innings of a Catholic League semifinal against Neumann-Goretti, gave up 13 runs in a nightmarish sixth inning and fell, 18-13. The chance to come full circle comes on Friday, when the Golden Hawks and Explorers clash in a PIAA Class AAAA championship game set for 1 p.m. at Penn State's Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

Taylor Wootton scored 20 points to lift host Drexel to its first home win, a 72-59 pounding over City Six rival La Salle in women's basketball. Hollie Mershon added 13 points for the Dragons (5-3). Alexis Scott scored a game- and season-high 33 points for La Salle (3-8).   In another game: *  At St. Francis, Pa., Katie Kuester's 16 points led Saint Joseph's (6-4) to an 83-53 win.  

THE MOST pressing matter on my mind leading up to La Salle's Sweet 16 game on Thursday is how I am going to obtain a ticket. Not to the West Regional semifinal against Wichita State, but to the Flyers-Islanders matchup taking place in Philly on the same night. Let me explain. I'm a bit superstitious, and in my mind the only way for La Salle to win on Thursday, is for me to be in the building I've visited each day the Explorers have won an NCAA Tournament game this year - the Wells Fargo Center.

LOS ANGELES - The good doctor didn't mean to be contrary. Dr. John Giannini was not being obtuse, or ornery, or even particularly prickly the past 2 weeks, when he disputed the "Cinderella" tag affixed to his Explorers. His dispute, of course, was meant to legitimize La Salle in his own players' eyes. He's practically a sports psychologist, for goodness' sake. Don't let him mesmerize you with that soothing tone. La Salle was as Cinderella a story as any team, ever.

NEW YORK - John Giannini has insisted that the margin for error for his La Salle team in the Atlantic 10 is minuscule. In Fordham's overstuffed gym in the Bronx Saturday, he was proven right. The Explorers (18-11, 7-7 A-10) dropped a physical 67-62 decision to Fordham, surrendering 35 points and 16 rebounds to Chris Gaston, the league's leading rebounder, and 26 offensive rebounds to the Rams. The win dropped La Salle behind Dayton, which hosted UMass on Saturday night, in the Atlantic Ten standings.

La Salle men's tennis player Dale Fetterman won both of his matches on Thursday to lead the Explorers to a 6-1 home win over the University of the Sciences. Fetterman beat the Devils' Cameron Carlock, 6-0, 6-1, in singles and teamed with Thomas MacLeod to beat Carlock and Peter Micu, 8-3, in doubles. Field hockey. Catherine Bitterly and Danielle Strong (Boyertown Area) each scored to lead Ursinus to a 2-1 win over host Bryn Mawr. Volleyball. Victoria Limmina had 18 digs and Cecily Scavicchio (Garnet Valley)

Brittany Wilson hit a three-pointer with six seconds left to lift visiting La Salle to a 49-48 women's basketball victory over Lehigh Tuesday. Wilson had 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Explorers (1-3). Ebonee Jones added 10 points. Kerry Kinek tallied 17 points to lead Lehigh (1-2). In another game: Carmen Tyson-Thomas scored 23 points and Kayla Alexander added 20 as visiting Syracuse (4-0) routed Saint Joseph's, 80-39. Kelsey Berger had 10 points for the Hawks (2-2)

Who's hot Ole Miss 6-foot-7 senior Murphy Holloway scored 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the SEC championship win over Florida and had 10 points and nine rebounds in the 57-46 NCAA win over Wisconsin. Holloway shot 15 for 21 in the two wins. During La Salle's two NCAA tournament games, 6-8 sophomore Jerrell Wright is averaging 17 points and seven rebounds and has shot 12 for 13 from the field. Who's not Guard Nick Williams has shot just 7 for 25 in his last two games for Ole Miss.

Kevin Chartrand threw for 257 yards and four touchdowns to lead Marist College over La Salle, 41-23, in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game yesterday. Chartrand's fourth touchdown, a 55-yard pass to Jerry Giordano (93 yards), tied a school record for most touchdown passes in a game and put Marist (3-3, 3-2 MAAC) ahead by 20 points with 14 minutes, 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Chartrand completed 11 of 19 attempts and passed for three touchdowns in the first half to put the Red Foxes up by 21-7 at halftime.

PAT CHRISTENSEN played a couple of sports as a young athlete and, ironically, baseball wasn't his strength. Christensen, who participated in both soccer and baseball, was on the verge of calling it quits on the diamond when he received some advice from his parents, Patrick and Mary Beth. "They told me to try pitching for a year," he said. "So I tried that out and it worked out pretty well. "I wasn't very good at hitting when I was younger and it frustrated me. I moved on to pitching.

HERE'S GUESSING Dominic Cuoci will never seek a switch in uniform numbers from 10 to 15 or 16. For him, those might as well be 13. Twice in recent mound stints for La Salle High's baseball team, the 6-2, 205-pound junior righthander sniffed no-hitters semi-deep into games . . . only to bid adieu while going for out No. 15, then 16. "I started to realize I had one going once we got to the fifth inning," Cuoci said Tuesday, referring to...

THE PRESIDENT of La Salle University said yesterday that he will step down in May 2014 after 15 years, to allow the school to transition into a new era of leadership. Michael McGinniss, 65, known as "Brother Mike," grew up in Olney and graduated from La Salle in 1970. He has a Ph.D. from Notre Dame and has headed La Salle since 1999. Under his three terms, the Logan-based Catholic institution nearly doubled its endowment, increased its enrollment and expanded its footprint in the northern part of the city.

La Salle's Matt Rambo was surrounded. There was a St. Joseph's Prep defender in front of him. There was another behind him. Another to his left, and another to his right. The senior attack simply drove through the tight defense to score the game's final goal Wednesday night and seal La Salle's 18th Catholic League boys' lacrosse title with an 11-6 win at Plymouth Whitemarsh. "He kept twirling and running and crashing into players until he fired it into the empty net," La Salle coach Bill Leahy said.

BASEBALL Team Rec. Records are through Tuesday. Last week's rankings in parentheses. 1. Strath Haven (1) 19-0 2. C.B. East (3) 15-3 3. La Salle (4) 19-4 4. Malvern Prep (5) 25-8 5. Neshaminy (6) 15-4 6. Unionville (7) 17-3 7. W.C. Henderson (8) 15-5 8. C.B. South (9) 14-5 9. Coatesville (10) 15-5 10. Pennridge (NR) 15-6 Under consideration (listed alphabetically): Archbishop Ryan (16-7), Bonner- Prendergast (16-5), Boyertown (15-8)

MATT RAMBO scored four goals and assisted on two others as La Salle captured its 18th Catholic League boys' lacrosse title with an 11-6 win over St. Joseph's Prep at Plymouth-Whitemarsh.   Softball Brooke Lachette pitched a complete game and went 2-for-4 with a double, homer and four RBI to lead Bonner-Prendergast past St. Hubert, 6-3, at Arcadia University in the Catholic League softball final.

The Inquirer TOP 10 BASEBALL Team   Rec. Records are through Tuesday. Last week's rankings in parentheses. 1. Strath Haven (1)   19-0 2. C.B. East (3)   15-3 3. La Salle (4)   19-4 4. Malvern Prep (5)   25-8 5. Neshaminy (6)   15-4 6. Unionville (7)   17-3 7. W.C. Henderson (8)   15-5 8. C.B. South (9)   14-5 9. Coatesville (10)   15-5 10. Pennridge (NR)

After focusing on lacrosse the last three years, Pete Auteri approached La Salle skipper Joe Parisi last December about a possible switch to baseball. "I told him, 'What you're trying to do is difficult,' " Parisi said. "But I said, 'We're going to give you a shot.' He went out and earned it. " Wednesday afternoon, with Auteri producing a two-run single to right field in the sixth inning, the host Explorers turned back Father Judge, 6-4, in a Catholic League first-round playoff in Wyndmoor.